Game apparatus



Oct. 5, 1937. H. e. :BFIQEITENSTEIN 4,6 4

GAME APPARATUS 4 Filed Aug. 1, 1934 3 Sheets-Sheet l 5 She ets-Sheet iii/6 712 5 7? GAME APPARATUS Filed Aug. 1, 1954 H. G. BREITENSTEIN jf wz'afimwmiem 'Oct. 5, 1937.

Oct. 5. 1937. H. 5. BREITENSTEIN GAME APPARATUS Filed Aug. 1, 1934 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 mania?" f r erifir'aifimi'a'n/ 9w A A ww 1 ww km Mm o NN AW 5 Nw 9 A Am ww mm NA 9A e Nu Aux A C AA A A aw W .A 9 WW NW ,ww mm MN A A.%N/\ w Y m .w MN QW w Wfi \WW @W mm w rw A B rammed ca. 5, 1937 GAME APPARATUS Herbert G. Breitenstein, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Raymond T. Moloney, Chicago, Ill.

Application August 1, 1934, Serial No. 737,962

13 Claims. (01. 273-421) The invention relates to a game apparatus, involving skill in the projection of balls to targets, or other objectives, located on an inclined play field or board. In standard games of this type it is customary to project the balls from the lower edge of the inclined board to the upper edge or end thereof, whereupon the balls roll by gravity down the board toward object holes arranged therein which receive the balls if they are properly projected. It is desirable in these games to provide mechanism that will create action and resulting player interest, especially so, as these games are coin released. To this end, it has been proposed to provide mechanism for causing a previously played ball lodged on a target seat to be positively moved up hill to progress to a target of higher score value.

The present invention relates to improvements in this particular type of up-hill ball progression structure, the present application being an improvement over my co-pending application Serial Number 730,819, filed June 15, 1934.

The primary object of the invention is to provide an improved mechanism for causing up-hill progression of balls from one target seat to another. I

A further object is to provide such mechanism in the form of a plurality of simulated guns operable conjointly to propel a plurality of seated or trapped balls simultaneously up hill.

Still another object is to actuate said mechanism electrically and controlled by'another ball dropping through a control hole to close an electric circuit for such purpose.

It is further an important object to propel a seated or trapped ball into a secondary control hole to close the circuit a second time to cause successive operation of the guns to provide repeat action.

Another important object is to provide deflector means to control the movement of such up-hill projected, seated balls, whereby they are caused to move longitudinally up-hill, and to be laterally deflected.

Other important objects will become apparent to those versed in this art as the disclosure is more fully made.

Briefly such objects may be achieved by the illustrative, and preferred, example herein shown and described, wherein the game comprises the usual box enclosing an inclined play boardv provided with trap door seats to receive and lodge balls projected to the top of the board by a ball shooter. These balls gravitate down'the board and if skilfully projected lodge on said seats and against the muzzle end of a simulated gun.

There are a plurality of such guns and seats so that a number of balls may thus be simultaneously trapped. At the upper end of the board are two spaced control holes in longitudinal alinement with a gun and seat arranged in line with'and directly below the lower of said two control holes. When a subsequently projected ball is dropped through the upper, or primary control hole. an electric circuit is caused to be momentarily closed to energize an electro-magnet which shifts an under panel carrying a plurality of hammers which strike the balls lodged in back of the guns. This moves these balls uphill and by means of deflectors the balls move laterally, after traveling longitudinally, into position on a seat higher up I the board, thus resulting in up-hill progression to increase the score. Should a ball during this action be fired by the gun in line with the lower, or secondary control hole, it will drop through said secondary control hole to cause a second operation of the electro-magnet. This results in a repeat action to progress the lodged balls .a

second step upwardly and laterally, the upper-' most balls now being deflected to gravitate down hill through a tunnel into a high value score pocket. After the predetermined number of balls sealed in the game cabinet have been played the lodged balls may be released upon actuation of a coin slide, to cause them to roll down an inclined 1 floor to a transverse trough at the lower end of the game, said trough leading the balls to a lifter that delivers them one at a time in the usualway into position above the game board to be projected thereacross by the projector.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the game, showing the game board and arrangement of parts thereon; I

Figure 2 is a small plan diagram to illustrate the up-hill ball progression on the first action when a ball drops through the primary control hole;

Figure 3 is a similar diagram to illustrate the action when a ball drops through the secondary through the game as seen along the line 56 of Figure 1 and looking in the indicated direction; and,

Figure '7 is a detail longitudinal, side sectional View through one of the simulated progression guns taken along the same line 56 of Figure 1 heretofore mentioned, the view being enlarged better to show the parts.

The game is housed in a cabinet 10 of rectangular form having a front wall H and closed at its top by a glass panel l2. The usual gameboard inclined from rear to front is shown at 13 the same being stationary and carried in any way by the side walls of the box It. A marginal member i4 is mounted on the board l3 toform an oval track l5 and play field It. A partition ll is longitudinally disposed at one side of the field E6 to form a ball projection passageway l8 through which balls are projected by a projector l9 manipulated by the usual spring plunger handle 2% carried in the front wall Ii.

' Balls fired by this projector 19 emerge from the passageway 58 onto the upper end of the board 13 and follow the oval margin and strike a spring bumper 2| to rebound and then gravitate down the inclined board it. Along each side of the play field are formed holes 22 into which balls may drop onto a seat 23 in each of said holes carried on an under panel 24 later to be described.

Near the upper end of the play field board l3 are two longitudinally alined holes 24, 25 in spaced apart relation and having a separator member 26 therebetween as shown. Below these holes 24, '25 and in line therewith is a hole 21 and adjacent the same a gun barrel member 28, said hole being closed by a ball supporting trap door 29.

Formed in the board I3 below the gun barrel 28 are a pair of transversely spaced holes 39, one on each side of the boards median line, and each of said holes being normally closed by a ball supporting trap door 3! and having therebelow a gun barrel 32. Below the gun barrels 32 is another set of two spaced holes 33 also including doors 34 and gun barrels 35, these latter two units being transversely spaced farther apart than the two units immediately thereabove and already described. Below the barrels 35 there is still another spaced set of two holes 36 having the same kind of doors 3'5 and gun barrels 38. It can now be seen, from Figure 1, that the gun barrels 3B, 35, 32 and 28 at each side edge of the board are staggered or in an echelon formation and by means of opposite upwardly and inwardly extending deflector rails 39 a ball fired from gun 38 moves longitudinally upwardly until deflected inwardly by member 39 to the seat 34 in front of the muzzle end of the gun barrel 35. 7

Continuing, a ball fired off the seat 34 by gun 35 moves up and into a position on seat 3| adjacent gun 32, there being provided a one-way gate 40 to prevent such ball from gravitating back to the seat 34 and thus insuring that such ball must come to rest on the seat 3| as described. Similarly balls fired ofi the seats 30 move up hill through one-way gates M to an enclosed space 42 formed as shown. From said space 42 such balls gravitate down hill through a passageway 43 and into and through an alined, large gun barrel, or tunnel member 44 at the lower end of the game board l3, said member 44 being disposed between .the pairs of guns 35 and 38, as shown.

Balls gravitating through said tunnel 44 have first been progressed step by step uphill and inwardly to the enclosure 42 and as this action has required considerable skill'and acumen by the player he is entitled to a high score value for such balls. Accordingly at the lower end of the tunnel 44 is a high score pocket 45 to receive these balls. Spent balls missing the various scoring holes on the board it are caught by a spent ball pocket 46 formed at the lower end of the board, as shown.

The under, shiftable, panel 26 heretofore described is rectangular and preferably formed of sheet metal. It is formed adjacent each corner with longitudinal slots ll (see Figures 4 and 6) for slidably guiding said panel 24 on four depending pins 48 carried from the under side of the top stationary board l3. This panel 24 is provided with rather large rectangular holes 49, so arranged as to be complementary to each of the guns 32, 35 and 38 on the upper board I3. Further, this panel 24 is formed with a circular hole 5* below each seat 23 thereon, said holes 50 being complementary to the holes 22 in the top board. These holes 49 and 5B permit dropping of balls through the board l3 and panel 24 when the latter is shifted rearwardly as will later appear. So that the panel 24 may be shifted, it is formed at its lower edge with a shoulder 5! that is engageable by the extension 52 of a conventional coin release slide 53 carried in the front wall H, as shown. Said panel 24 is pushed inwardly against the pull of a pair of springs 54 connected to said panel and to the sides of the cabinet as appears in Figure 4:.

The panel 24 on its under side carriesa plurality of depending studs 55 fitting into longitudinal slots 58 of a plate for slidably supporting the latter for both independent and conjoint movement with respect to the panel 24. This plate 5'! is appropriately shaped and provided with a number of upwardly bent striker arms 58 which extend up through the panel 24 at its openings 59; also up through the top board I3 and into the gun barrels 23, 32, 34 and 36. (See Figure 7.) Each striker carries a head 52 at its upper end to hit a ball lodged at the muzzle end of the barrels when the plate M is suddenly shifted.

For shifting the plate 57. it is formed at its lower end with a shoulder es adapted to be engaged by a stud ti on a pivotally mounted armature t2 carried on a bracket 53 on the floor 64 of the cabinet. electro-magnet 65 in circuit by wires 66 with a battery Bl. When the magnet 65 is energized the armature is pivoted to strike the shoulder 50 and push the plate 5? rearwardly, thus actuating the strikers 5st to fire balls lodged against the gun muzzles 28, 32, 35 and 35. After the magnet circuit is broken and the magnet is inoperative, a spring 68 connected to the plate 57 serves to restore the parts to the position shown in Figure 6.

The other end of this spring 88 is anchored to a wall 69 surrounding an opening is in a stationary sloped ball return board ll secured in the cabinet if]. The magnet 55 and its armature 62 extend into this opening as shown in Figure 6. At the lower edge of this board i! is a transverse, inclined ball trough i2 down which the balls gravitate to a lifter l3 shown in Figure 4, and of any desired design, to raise the balls, one by one, upon manipulation of a pusher 14, into shooting position adjacent the projector !9. De-

vfiectors l5 and it serve to direct balls rolling down the side edges of the board H properly into the trough 72. A sloped board 'l'l' between the This armature is moved by an wall I I and trough 12 returns balls when they drop through the pockets 45 and 46.

Balls played into the pocket 45 remain therein until released by the lower edge of the panel 24 as shown in Figure 6. Similarly, to support balls in the pocket 48 a plate 18 is provided under the pocket hole 48, said plate 18 being properly guided by pins 79 carried in the board l3, and by slots 80 formed in the plate, as shown. By means of supports 8| this plate It is connected to the plate 51 to be shiftable therewith.

Balls may be supported in firing position adjacent each of the guns described on the trap doors 29 as shown in Figures 6 and 7. Each of said doors 28 is pivoted to a pin 82 in its opening in the board l3 and includes an angularly disposed tail 83 having a bent end 84. When the plate 24 is in its normal forward position as appears in Figure 6, the plate 2d constitutes a support holding the door 28 in horizontal hole closing position to support a ball. When the plate 24 is shifted the tail 83, 84 loses its support, and with the help of the weight of a ball thereon, it drops hingedly to the position shown in Figure '7, thus permitting the ball to drop through the adjacent holes 49 to the ball routing or return board H. a

The board 'il carries an inclined trough element 85 under the holes 24' and 25, said element 85 including an offset longitudinally inclined trough extension 85. An electric contact plug 81 is arranged in the part 86 as shown in Figures 4 and 5, said part 85 also carrying a fiat metallic spring 88 of the requisite length, which spring includes a mating contact 89. A wire 98 leads from the plug 81 to the battery 6! and a wire 9| leads from the spring 88 to the electro-magnet 65 thus placing this circuit breaking and closing device in electrical hook-up with the battery 6'! and the electro-magnet 65 in a readily understandable manner. The spring 88 normally keeps the contacts 81, 89 apart but when a ball drops thereon from either hole 24, 25 its weight serves to close the contacts and circuit and energize the electro-magnet for an interval equal to the length of time required for a ball to roll the length of the spring 88.

This completes the description of the structural parts of the game. Its use and operation will now be described and in that connection it is to be understood that ten, or any other desired predetermined number of balls, preferably of steel, are sealed in the cabinet Iii. The halls will be assumed to be in the trough l2 and ready for play, the coin release 53 having been manipulated in the usual way. The lifter I4 is then operated to lift these balls one at a time into ball projecting position adjacent the projector l9. This projector is used in the conventional manner by the handle 28 to shoot the balls one at a time over the board I3.

We will assume that one of the balls comes to rest, after being thus played on the seat 3'! adjacent the gun barrel 38; and another on seat 29 adjacent the barrel 28. Thereafter, if .a subsequently played ball drops through the hole 24' the circuit closer member 88 is operative, causing the electro-magnet 85 to be energized. Thereupon the armature 82 is drawn to the magnet to strike the shoulder 68 and shift the plate 51 rearwardly or in a direction away from the front wall I l. Thus the striker 58 moving therewith hits the ball off seat 31 to roll it longitudinally up hill to a point where the lower end of the deflector 39 causes said ball to move inward- 1y toward and onto the progressively higher seat 3d and gun barrel 35 where said ball comes to rest. (See Figure 2.)

Simultaneously with this action the ball on the seat 29 is propelled up hill longitudinally into the hole 25, said ball now dropping through to the troughpart 85 to close the device 88 again for a repeat action of firing the guns by shifting the plate 51 once more. This moves the ball, as shown in Figure 3, from the seat 38 through the gate 40 to the seat 3|. Should another ball now drop through the hole 24' the shifting of the plate 51 and strikers 58 occurs again, in the same way. This time the ball fired from the seat 3i enters the enclosure 42 through the one way gate t! and finally gravitates down hill through the passageway 43 and tunnel 44 to the high scoring value pocket 45 where the ball is held in position, until released, by the plate 24.

The circuit controlling ball chute device 85, 85 is constructed off-set as has been described, to control the time interval between the first action and repeat action of firing the guns. In other words, the off-set causes slow rolling of the circuit closing balls and provides ample time for the plate- 51 to be returned by its spring 88 to normal forward position. The shoulder 88 also returns the armature 62 when the magnet is deenergized, after the ball has rolled off the circult closer spring 88.

When the plate 51 is thus moved rearwardly by the electrical mechanism described, it carries with it the support 18 to shift it away from under the spent ball pocket/46 to cause any balls lodged therein to drop through to the sloped board 1'! for a free replay. Any balls dropping through the control holes 24', 25 fall onto the sloped board "II for delivery into the trough :12 in the same manner, for free replay.

Eventually all ten balls will become trapped i either in the high score pocket 45, the seats 23 in holes 22, or on the seats 31, 34, 38 or 29 adjacent the gun barrels. This ends the game play and the numerical values given to the several traps will be added for the game score total.

To release the balls from these locations to replay the game, a coin is inserted into the slide 53 which enables the player to push the same into the cabinet in the usual manner. Thereupon the extension 52 engages the shoulder 51 to shift the panel 24 rearwardly. Balls in the pocket 35 can now drop through the board i3 and into the trough 12. As the support 24 is thus taken away from under the doors 29 they drop causing any balls thereon to fall through the holes 49 in panel 24 to the board H for return to the trough l2.

Balls on the seats 23 are caused to leave said seats when the panel 24 is thus shifted to drop through the adjacent holes 58 in the panel 28 and similarly onto the board H for return to the trough 12. After a predetermined amount of movement of the panel 24 the pin picks up the plate 51 to move it to shift with it the support 28 to permit spent balls from the pocket 68 also to return to the trough 12 by means of the sloped board ll. All these ball release actions occur simultaneously and when the player releases the coin slide 53 all parts, by the various springs described, are automatically returned to their normal positions as shown in Figure 6.

From this disclosure it can now be appreciated that improved game mechanism has been provided which achieves all of the desirable objects heretofore recited.

It is the intention to cover all changes and modifications not departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

What is claimed is:

1. In a game comprising an inclined board provided with a plurality of longitudinally spaced and ofiset ball seats, a manually operable ball projector for rolling a ball to the upper end of the board to gravitate a ball onto said seats, projector means adjacent each seat, automatically operable means controlled by a subsequently manually projected ball to actuate the projector means adjacent the seats to progress the seated balls uphill, and deflector means operatively asscciated with the board to guide the balls onto a progressively higher seat.

2. In a game comprising an inclined board having primary secondary control targets near its upper end, ball seats on the board below the control targets, a ball projector adjacent each ball seat, a manual shooter for firing balls over the board to gravitate onto the seats, one of the ball projectors being longitudinally alined with the secondary target, means operable when a ball is fired to the primary target for causing the ball projectors to operate automatically and move the seated balls uphill on the board, one of said upwardly moving seated balls moving to the secondary control target to cause a repeat operation of the projector operating means and projectors to progressively move the seated balls uphill from one seat to another.

3. A game comprising an inclined board having a pair of spaced control holes formed therein, a plurality of automatically operable projectors on the board below said control holes, ball seats adjacent each projector, manual means for rolling balls over the board to saidseats, means operable when a ball is dropped through one of said control holes for automatically operating the projectors to advance the seated balls uphill to lodge them on seats higher up the board, one of said projectors adapted to move a seated ball into the other control hole to cause a repeat operation of said projectors for a further advance of the seated balls uphill.

4. A game having an inclined board provided with a plurality of spaced control holes and also a series of longitudinally alined ball seats adapted to hold balls at rest thereon, and projector means controlled automatically by other balls dropped through any of the plurality of control holes formed in the board for causing the seated balls to be moved uphill successively from a lower to a higher seat.

5. A game having an inclined board provided with a pair of spaced control holes and also a series ongitudinally alined laterally offset ball seats adapted to hold balls at rest thereon, electri ally operated projector means controlled by balls dropped through either of the control holes formed in the board for causing the seated balls to be .ioved successively uphill from a lower to a higher seat, and means operatively associated with the board to deflect the uphill moving balls inwardly as they move from a lower to a higher seat.

6. A game having an inclined board with a seat to receive a ball, said board being formed,

with a plurality of control holes, an inclined control chute embodying communicating ofiset trough portions below the control holes, a circuit closer in the chute, an electrical device including a circuit and source of energy for unseating a seated ball, said device being operable when another ball is dropped through any of said control holes and rolls down said chute to operate said circuit closer.

7. A game having an inclined board with a ball holding seat thereon, said board having a pair of spaced control holes therein, an inclined control chute embodying communicating offset trough portions below the board and adapted to receive balls falling through said control holes, a circuit closer in said chute, and an electrical device including a circuit and source of energy for unseating a seated ball, said device being operable when other balls are dropped through either of said control holes, such balls rolling down the chute and operating the circuit closer.

8. A game comprising an inclined board having ball seats thereon adapted to support balls, a shiftable panel below said board adapted to support the seats in ball holding position, an independently shiftable plate below the panel and having upstanding strikers extending through ball drop openings in the panel and board, and means to shift the plate with its strikers to unseat the seated balls, said panel and plate being associated for independent and conjoint shifting movement.

9. In a game comprising a board inclined from the horizontal and provided with a pair of ball seats longitudinally spaced apart and offset from each other laterally, a projector at the lower end of the board for rolling a ball to the high end of the board, said ball adapted then to gravitate down the board and onto the lower of said seats, a striker adjacent the said lower seat, means to cause operation of the striker to impel the seated ball longitudinally uphill on the board, and a deflector operatively associated with the board to cause said ball to move laterally into a position of rest on the upper of said ball seats.

10. In a game comprising a board inclined from the horizontal and provided with a pair of ball seats longitudinally spaced apart and offset from each other laterally, a projector at the lower end of the board for rolling a ball to the high end of the board, said ball adapted then to gravitate down the board and onto the lower of said seats, a striker adjacent the said lower seat, means set into operation by a subsequently projected ball to cause operation of the striker, the latter impelling the first mentioned seated ball longitudinally uphill on the board, and a deflector mounted on the board in the path of movement of said ball to cause it to move laterally into a position of rest on the upper of said ball seats.

11. In a game comprising a board inclined from the horizontal and provided with a pair of ball seats longitudinally spaced apart and offset from each other laterally, a projector at the lower end of the board for rolling a ball to the end of the board, said ball adapted then to gravitate down the board and onto the lower of said seats, a striker adjacent the said lower seat, means located under the board to cause opera- ,tion of the striker to impel the seated ball longitudinally uphill on the board, said means being set into operation by a subsequently projected ball falling through a hole formed in the board, and an irregularly shaped deflector arranged in the path of the ball impelled by the striker to deflect said impelled ball laterally to a position -of rest on the upper of said ball seats.

end of the board for rolling a ball to the high end of the board, said ball adapted then to gravitate down the board and onto the lower of said seats, a striker adjacent the said lower seat, means comprising an electrical device normally in an open circuit and located below the board to cause operation of the striker to impel'the seated ball longitudinally uphill on the board, said means being set into operation when a subsequently projected circuit closing ball drops through a hole formed in the board, and a defiector located in the path of uphill movement of the ball impelled by the striker to deflect said last mentioned ball laterally to a position of rest on the upper of said ball seats.

13. A game having an inclined board provided with a plurality of spaced control holes and also With a series of longitudinally alined ball seats adapted to hold balls at rest thereon, and means controlled by balls dropped through any of said plurality of control holes for causing the seated balls to be moved successively uphill from lower H) to higher seats.

HERBERT G. BREITENSTEIN. 

